Long Way Home
by Reba Jean
Summary: Short adventure story about Luna's friends Kakeru & Himeko, from the end of the S manga or S movie, set several years later. Same AR as my All My Brothers series.


The Long Step Home  
Reba Jean 10/6/01  
rjean@ghg.net  
Rated: PG Genre: General  
  
Disclaimer: Characters are based on Sailor Moon ? 1992 by Naoko   
Takeuchi/Kodansha, TOEI Animation, English language adaptation ? 1995   
by DIC Entertainment.  
  
Note: This one part story is set in the same alternate timeline as   
"All My Brothers". It is partly from an original story of mine written   
years ago, that I found while going through the drawers in my desk. It   
is adapted to include Sailor Moon characters from the end of the S   
manga (or the S movie) several years later than those events.  
  
  
Luna was curled asleep in her bed in the corner of Serena's old room   
snoring quietly. She often escaped the bedlam of the Chiba apartment   
by returning to the Tsukino house when the grandchildren were absent.   
In her dreams, air swirled red against the orange and pink tinged sky.   
The mood was one of excitement and anticipation. She saw a large white   
wedge in the distance. She awoke suddenly as the door slammed open.  
  
"Oh sorry Luna, I didn't know you were in here," said Sammy as he   
carried a load of dry, folded diapers into the room and dumped them on   
the bed.   
  
"That's alright. I was just getting up to go get some food anyway,"   
Luna sighed.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
We had landed three nights earlier on the wide circular floor of the   
ancient crater. Since the landing we had been constantly buffeted by   
the wind-whipped sand. The extreme velocity had etched the paint on   
the outer hull, which the engineers had claimed would last far longer   
than the duration our mission required. Our communications had been   
intermittent at best because of storm damage. We awaited the end of   
the sandstorm to make further repairs.   
  
The next morning dawned clear for once, and cold as always. The dust   
of last night's storm had gone. The entire vista from the hatch window   
was one of calm. "You haven't time to be looking at the scenery until   
after we get that comm. unit fixed. So come on out here," came a voice   
over the suit to ship frequency. Muttering to myself, I suited up and   
waited in the airlock for the pressure to equalize.   
  
I backed out carefully and started down the shaky ladder. Another   
thing to add to the repair list. The reality of space travel was far   
from the relative calm and orderliness of my old lab, where you could   
order replacement parts if something broke (if you had the budget). On   
the eight-month voyage out we had constantly been repairing and   
kludging equipment purchased from the lowest bidder. The ladder slowly   
pulled loose and tipped backward. I hit the ground on my backpack life   
support unit with the ladder landing on top of me. I switched on the   
systems check to run on my heads-up display. No suit malfunctions   
showed. I didn't even hurt anywhere; the sand beneath me was a fairly   
deep layer without a lot of the rocks scattered everywhere.   
  
"Hey, if you're not hurt, get over here and help me with this comm.   
unit," yelled the unsympathetic commander, Sergei Romanov. Since   
arguing would only prolong the task, I turned my attention to the   
broken machinery, except for occasional glimpses of the magenta and   
pink sky.   
  
When we were finished, I stayed outside to look around. Another suited   
figure moved over to join me from where she had been working on   
deploying the solar power unit. Himeko and I quietly talked together   
while taking in the view. I doubt I would ever become accustomed to   
the stark beauty of this place. All across the floor of the crater   
were gently sloping dunes of red ocher sand. Mountains formed a jagged   
ring in the distance, jutting sharply into the dark sky. The sun is   
very pale and small where it casts a white light. The tops of the   
dunes are highlighted while their bases are lost in red shadow.  
  
We walked over to the dome where the gardens were now planted and   
looked back towards the ship. The Yuri seemed only a small blunt white   
wedge against the ocher sand and darkening sky. Himeko remarked on the   
loneliness and isolation of this desolate place so far from home.   
  
"Let's go back inside, Kakeru. Marie's going to try to get a video   
channel to Control Center and she's cooking tonight," said Himeko. The   
small crew rotates the housekeeping chores, besides being cross-trained   
in three or four scientific or engineering disciplines. I sometimes   
think Sergei married Marie primarily because she is one of the few   
truly good cooks in the international astronaut corps. She is a   
graduate of the Cordon Bleu school in France.  
  
The next day was a field expedition to the beginning of the rill rising   
into the mountains about fifty kilometers away. Two pressurized rovers   
started out early, the Laika crewed by Himeko and myself, and the Baker   
by the American couple, Julie and Mark North. At our slow rate of   
travel, it would be hours before we arrived at the site chosen for   
investigation. It was suspected there might be a layer of ice frozen   
beneath the hills near the mountains. A nearby source of water would   
make this a prime choice for a permanent base.  
  
The trip across the crater floor was quite monotonous and uneventful.   
As far as the mountains on the horizon, there was nothing but mounds of   
dust. I will be glad to get back to earth where everything is not just   
shades of red. The absence of green in the land makes a great   
difference. Still, it is good to be on land and be able to travel   
about, instead of being cooped up in the small ship traveling through   
the black of space. When we arrived at the site for the next day's   
excavations, there was nothing required for the mission except to wait   
for dawn. Himeko and I enjoyed the privacy that was hard to come by in   
a small ship crewed by eight. I suspect Mark and Julie in the other   
rover did the same.  
  
I awoke early and decided to go out and watch the sunrise. The stars   
shone more brightly than on earth (no light pollution here). I could   
feel the petrifying cold through the suit insulation. The darkness   
gradually withdrew. A rosy magenta spread across the horizon. When I   
returned my gaze to the sky after a glance at the sleeping crawlers, a   
smoky red ball had popped above the horizon. By the time the others   
had joined me outside, the sun had assumed its normal color.   
  
We surveyed, mapped, and carefully cataloged the aereological features   
of the chasm concealed on the far side of the rill visible from the   
ship. This world presents us with constant surprises. What had   
appeared to be a volcanic formation showed unmistakable signs of being   
caused by water erosion. There had at least been water here in the   
past. The other rover moved north as we headed south along the canyon   
rim. Across the gorge striated layers were visible on the far wall   
showing how the sediment had been deposited by water flow. Although   
astronomy is my first specialty, I had trained in geology and hydrology   
for this mission, as Himeko had understudied Mario and Sabra Cappileri   
in life support and hydraulic equipment. There was enough to study to   
keep up busy for years, if only we could stay so long.  
  
We drove slowly south, video recording and mapping all we saw. As the   
rover climbed a small rise and started down again, the bottom dropped   
out with a lurch and splash. The rover tipped over and back to one   
side, throwing us both out of the seats in front and tumbling us toward   
the rear of the rover. It was being sucked down in a bog like   
quicksand. We had hit a patch of ground where the permafrost   
underneath had melted. Somehow I seemed detached from what was   
happening. I felt no pain even though I could see my leg twisted at an   
unnatural angle. Himeko screamed and collapsed, blood pouring from her   
shoulder where she had impacted some equipment.   
  
I crawled over to where Himeko lay, and attempted to put pressure on   
the wound where she was bleeding. Her rib cage was indented and her   
breathing labored. She began coughing red fluid. Her lungs must be   
damaged as well.  
  
I crawled to the radio and attempted to call the other crawler. There   
was no output or response. The comm. link had already been buried in   
the muck. We continued to sink. We had all risked our lives to reach   
this planet and now it appeared we would be the first to die on Mars.  
  
Life support must be failing; the air was getting stuffy and hard to   
breathe. Not that I cared for myself, with Himeko in such bad shape   
there was nothing I could do to help her. She would soon be gone.  
  
"I love you, Himeko. Wait for me," were among my last conscious   
thoughts. "Princess Kaguya, Luna, Help us," I shouted last.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Luna awoke in terror. Her friends were in danger! She ran to her   
communicator and pressed the all alert emergency button. She yelled,   
"Scouts teleport to me immediately. Rei take coordinates from the   
images in my mind and send them to Ami. See if you can triangulate   
their position."  
  
The room filled with Sailor Scouts, all the inner and outer together.   
Rei looked around, "Where's Meatball Head and Cape Boy, late as usual."  
  
Luna said in a disgusted tone of voice, "There's no time for sarcasm   
tonight Mars. They're not coming. The Bunny's incubating another   
litter."  
  
"Sailor teleport!" they all shouted as we transported to the base camp   
on Mars. The crew appeared dumbfounded at the appearance of eight   
Sailor Scouts and two cats in their midst.  
  
Rei yelled at them, "Himeko and Kakeru are dying. Where is their rover?   
We couldn't get a closer reading from back on earth."  
  
Sergei moved over toward the scouts, "Julie reported their rover was   
headed south over a small hill when it disappeared and they lost   
communications. They have turned around and are headed that way now."  
  
Ami told him, "They had better not get too close or you may lose them   
as well. The rover was caught in a bog and is sinking. Himeko is very   
badly injured. They have lost life support. I don't think your rover   
can do anything for them. We'll transport them here in just a minute,   
after Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto go there to carry them back."  
  
The scouts reappeared carrying the injured couple. Sabra, the medical   
officer, and Ami examined them. Sabra shook her head, "There's noting   
I can do for Himeko here. Her lung is collapsed and punctured; she   
needs surgery immediately. We could splint Kakeru's leg but it would   
heal abnormally. He might not be able to walk when we get back to   
earth."  
  
"We can take them back to earth with us. Sorry, but we can't retrieve   
your equipment as well. Will that be satisfactory?" Luna asked them.  
  
The crew stared open mouthed at the talking cat. Artemis chimed in,   
"We need to be going. Good luck with the rest of your mission." Mina   
smiled at their response to Luna and her mentor.  
  
The scouts circled with the injured astronauts and the cats in the   
center. Chanting, "Sailor teleport, injured transport," they   
disappeared in a multi-colored flash of light. When they reappeared on   
earth, the emergency room staff at Tokyo General Hospital had almost   
the same amazed expression as the ones worn by the Mars expedition   
crew.   
  
Ami ran interference and gave the intake nurse a summary of the   
condition of the injured pair. She added, "Contact NASDA (the Japanese   
space organization) for insurance information. They are Himeko   
Nayotake and Kakeru Ohzara."  
  
The nurse protested, "But they're on Mars."  
  
"Were on Mars, that's where they were injured," Ami answered.  
  
As the staff rushed over to take Himeko into the trauma center, Kakeru   
awoke and looked about in confusion at a busy hospital with eight   
Sailor Scouts, a white cat, and a familiar black cat as well. "Luna,   
you heard us," he exclaimed.   
  
"Yes. We were able to rescue Himeko in time. They should be able to   
save her. You need to have some repairs done as well. Sorry you won't   
be able to finish your mission," Luna said to him as she trotted over   
to his side.  
  
"Sorry. You all saved us both. How can I ever thank you?" he asked.   
  
"But you already did long ago. Don't you remember you rescued me when   
I was in that street?" Luna answered him. As she looked around, she   
saw that the Sailor Scouts were running toward the exit. A group of   
agitated men and women with notebooks and cameras was headed their way.   
"I better disappear too. You might prefer to have died a hero's death   
after all, in a few minutes. Here come the paparazzi!" Luna exclaimed   
as she streaked out the door.   



End file.
